ŚaivismShaivismalso spelled ShaivismŚaivismcult of the Indian god ŚivaShiva, with Vaiṣṇavism Vaishnavism and ŚāktismShaktism, one of the three principal forms of modern Hinduism. Śaivism Shaivism includes such diverse movements as the highly philosophic ŚaivaShaiva-siddhāntasiddhanta, the socially distinctive LiṅgāyatLingayat, ascetic orders such as the daśnāmī sannyāsindashnami sannyasins, and innumerable folk variants.

The beginnings of the Śiva Shiva cult have been traced back by some scholars to non-Aryan phallic worship. Although this is not conclusive, it is clear that the Vedic god Rudra (“the Howler”) was amalgamated with the figure of Śiva Shiva (“Auspicious One”) that emerged in the period after the UpaniṣadUpanishads. The Śvetāśvatara UpaniṣadShvetashvatara Upanishadtreats Śiva Shiva as the paramount deity, but it is not until sometime between the 2nd century BCBCEand the 2nd century ADCEand the rise of the Pāśupata Pashupata sect that organized sectarian worship developed.

There are several schools of modern Śaiva Shaiva thought, ranging from pluralistic realism to absolute monism, but they all agree in recognizing three principles: pati, ŚivaShiva, the Lord; paśupashu, the individual soul; and pāśapasha, the bonds that confine the soul to earthly existence. The goal set for the soul is to get rid of its bonds and gain śivatvashivatva(“the nature of Śiva”Shiva”). The paths leading to this goal are caryācarya(external acts of worship), kriyākriya(acts of intimate service to God), yoga (meditation), and jñānajnana(knowledge). ŚaivismShaivism, like some of the other forms of Hinduism, spread in the past to other parts of Southeast Asia, including Java, Bali, and parts of Indochina and Cambodia.